The norris peters co



.(No Mqd'el.) 4 Sheet'sSheet J E. HATCH.

WHEELIOR VEHICLES.

.No. 601,141. Patented Mar. 22, 1898.

(No Model.) 4-SheetsShet 2.

- .J. E. HATCH.

, I WHEEL FOR VEHICLES. No 601,141. Patented Mar. 22, 1898."

THE Nuwus wzrzns co. Mam-drum WASHINGTON a. c.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

J.E.HATCH. WHEEL FOR VEHIGLES.

N0. 601,141. Patented Mar. 22,1898.

I iwenlor Witnesses I '?Mm4/mar M 1 74: scams PETERS 00., PuoTo-umu, wAsnmm'bn. 04 c,

' (No Model.) Y 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. E. HATCH.

WHEEL FOR VEHICLES. No. 601,141." I Patented Mar. 22,1898.

UNITED STATES FFICE.

PATENT WHEEL FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 601,141,dated March 22, 1898.

illpplioation filed August 9,1897- .To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMESYEDGAR HATCH, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at West Bromwich, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Additions to the Wheels of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes and Like Vehicles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 1

My invention consists of the improvements in or additions to the wheels of bicycles, tricycles, and other velocipedes and like vehicles-such, for example, as motor-cycles hereinafter described-the said improvements or additions having for their object to increase the resiliency of the said wheels, and consequently prevent or largely diminish the vibration or tremulous motion ordinarily produced in the vehicle when traveling over rough or uneven roads or encountering an obstacle in the road-such, for example, as a large pebble or the like.

My invention relates to those vehicle-Wheels which have a central air-chamberth at is, an annular air-chamber situated within the wheel and concentric with the axis of the same, and has for its principal object to strengthen the walls of the said air-chamber without diminishing, or diminishing but to a slight extent, the elasticity of the same, and,

further, to so connect the pneumatic tire of the wheel with the strengthened central air chamber that on the compression of any partof the said pneumatic tire in passing over asperities in the road air passes from the said pneumatic tire into the central air-chamber and returns to the tire immediately the wheel has passed the said asperities. Thus the tire I is relieved of undue pressure.

In order that my invention may be the better understood, I will describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, of

. which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle, the front wheel being constructed according to my invention; and Fig. 2 represents the said front wheel detached, part of the metallic casing around the hub ofthe wheel being omitted. Fig. 3 represents a section of the Serial No. 647,606. (No model.)

, said wheel on the dotted line mm, Fig. 2. Fig. 4

is a vertical section of the said wheel. Figs. 5, 5 6, 7,-and 8 represent modifications of my invention hereinafter described. Figs. 2 to 8, both inclusive, are drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 1.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the draw- 1ngs.

Inconstructing a Wheel according to my invention I preferably form around the hub of the wheel a central box-like metallic casing a a which casing is connected to the ordinary metallic rim b by spokes c c. The

side a of the said metallic casing is remov able and is kept in place by screw pins and nuts 01 d. I arrange within the said metallic casing a a an elastic air-tube e of thin vulcanized india-rubber, and I strengthen the said elastic air-tube e externally by strong vulcanized india-rubber rings f f f in close contact with each other, as will be best understood by reference to Fig. 4. The said central'strengthened air-tube e is connected to the ordinary pneumatic tire g of the wheel preferably by a flexiblepipe h. The central air tube or chamber 6 and pneumatic tire g are simultaneously inflated by an air-compressing pump connected to an ordinary valve i in connection with the central air tube or chamber e, the compressed air passing from the central air tube or chamber e by the pipe h intothe ordinary pneumatic tire.

The action of the said wheel is as follows: On the traveling of the vehicle, Fig. 1, over asperities in the road the part of the pneu matic tire g in contact with the said asperities is compressed and the cubic capacity of the said pneumatic tire consequently diminished. The tire is relieved of the undue pressure which would result from the said diminution in the cubic capacity of the tire.

by the passage of some of the compressed air into the central air chamber or tube e,which is thereby distended. On the wheel passing not used, I employ a convex metallic rim 70, (see Fig. 5,) preferably with an open joint secured together by a spring-snap or other fastening, and I preferably make the central air-chamber e of a tube closed at its two ends, as will be best understood by reference to Fig. 5. IVhen the strengthened india-rubber tube 0 is placed in the rim 7;, the two closed ends of the said tube abut against each other. (See Fig. 5.) IVhere it is desired to limit the expansion of the inner or central air-tube e, the hub of the wheel is provided with a concave rim or trough Z, (see Fig. 0,) between which and the convex rim k the airtube when inflated is situated.

Although I have shown and prefer to use plain india-rubber rings f f f around the airtube 6, conical rings of the kind represented in Fig. 7 or rings having the sectional figure represented in Fig. 8 or other sectional figure may be used with the same or nearly the same effect, or the strengthening of the airtube 0 may be eifected by coiling thereon a strong band of vulcanized india-rubber, the two ends of the said band being secured together by india-rubber or other cement.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as myinvention- In a vehicle-wheel, the combination with an outer rim, of an innereoneentric rim attached to the wheel-axle, spokes connecting said inner and outer rim, a pneumatic tire surrounding the outer rim, an air tube or chamber placed Within the inner rim, a plurality of vulcanized-rubber rings surrounding said air tube or chamber, a tubular passage connecting the said pneumatic tire and air tube or chamber, and a valve for admitting air to said air-tube, substantially as described.

JAMES EDGAR HATCH. [LI

Witnesses:

RICHARD SKERRETT, \VILLIAM JAMES Bowman. 

